Jermon Bushrod Expects Negotiations With New Orleans Saints To Begin
By Mike Dyce
January 27, 2013; Honolulu, HI, USA; NFC long snapper Don Muhlbach of the Detroit Lions (48) prepares to snap the ball with NFC guard Jahri Evans of the New Orleans Saints (73), NFC tackle Russell Okung of the Seattle Seahawks (76), and NFC tackle Jermon Bushrod of the New Orleans Saints (74) at the line of scrimmage in the fourth quarter against the AFC during the 2013 Pro Bowl at Aloha Stadium. The NFC defeated the AFC 62-35. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
One of the most coveted free agent offensive tackles this offseason is Jermon Bushrod of the New Orleans Saints. And teams might not even get a chance to negotiate with him as he believes the Saints will begin to negotiate a new contract with him soon.
“But at the end of the day, the business aspect is going to come out and that’s just something you have to be prepared for and ready for. There should be no hard feelings,” Bushrod said, via Larry Holder of the New Orleans Times-Picayune. “Every single player that’s left and gone to another team, they’ve definitely appreciated the experience here in New Orleans. You can’t get your feelings too wrapped into this. It’s a tough situation. But sometimes, you may have to experience change. Things aren’t always going to remain the same.”
The New Orleans Saints were reportedly considering the franchise tag but reports now say they aren’t planning on using it.
“Truthfully I can’t really say what I anticipate on their end because I don’t really know what they’re thinking,” Bushrod said. “As a player, the franchise tag is good, but it’s not what a player really wants. In my situation, I played under the (restricted free agent) tender and then played under a two-year deal.
“So I’d like to have some stability moving forward. I guess it’s a good move, but it’s still an option. I’m not going to get too worked up about it. I always just go through the mind-set of something that I really can’t control. We’ll see how things work out in the next few days.”
The Saints are tight on cap space and could wait to see how the market sets the price for tackles in free agency. This is one of the deepest positions on the free agent market.